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I'm interested in moving to Hawaii, Honolulu from New York City. I've always wanted to live in a better environment and enjoy nature. I'm at the point of totally starting my life over due to difficult circumstances (death in family). I 'm a jewelry designer and run my own business and I'm willing to work full-time or part-time to support myself. Also a friend just moved a few months ago and loves it! I only have a few thousand dollars to move with and wanted to know any thoughts or comments that people have. Would love to hear from people living already living there. I'm a peaceful hippy type of person and think the Aloha life would fit me perfectly. Also my Temple is located there so I would have a spiritual support system.
Stay in close contact with your friend that recently moved. The advice is to wait a year after a serious event in your life, like the death of a loved one, before making any major life changing decisions. Plan a trip and visit your friend. It might be good for you to get away for a few weeks. You could at least look around and get an idea of whether your business, lifestyle and finances are a fit with the island.
"Better environment and enjoy nature" might be easier on one of the islands other than Oahu. That island has gotten really full and folks are crazy busy trying to stay afloat there. From what I've noticed, they don't have a whole lot of disposable income, either, probably due to the high rents, taxes, costs, etc. Might be easier to start on one of the other islands - such as the Big Island - and then take your jewelry over to Oahu several times a year for the big festivals and sell it then. I don't know of anyone who supports themselves working a craft on Oahu where as lots of them do on the Big Island. Perhaps up around Volcano might be a nice area to start looking? Lots of crafts folks up that way and the prices are much lower than Oahu for rents and just about everything else.
Although, if you want peaceful hippy types, that would be down and around the corner from Volcano over at Pahoa.
Can you make your jewelry here and still sell it there in New York? Then if you can maintain the type of income that would support you in New York City, you'd probably be able to afford Honolulu or anywhere else in Hawaii.
Thank you for the responses. I could and will continue to sell my jewelry in NYC and Florida and online. I'm looking at the Big Island and an option based on your response.
To the others on the thread. I don't mind if you have something constructive to say but if you have a rude comment or message you want to leave me please don't bother. I live in NYC, one of thee most Expensive, toughest, and fastest moving cities in the world so I'm very familiar with a high cost of living that I have experienced on a daily basis my whole life. As the song says "If you could make it here you could make it anywhere" so please be respectful in you messages and post.
That island has gotten really full and folks are crazy busy trying to stay afloat there. From what I've noticed, they don't have a whole lot of disposable income, either, probably due to the high rents, taxes, costs, etc.
I have to really disagree with that portrayal of Oahu. If you are broke and no degree or skills, yep, Oahu is challenging but so will any island in Hawaii.
But, degreed professionals do very well on Oahu, many with 6-figure incomes. Getting a 6-figure income from a Hawaii based company is challenging at best on outer islands.
Oahu also enjoys the lowest poverty rate of the islands.
Ah, but it sounds as if she will be keeping her NYC based business. Very sensible since it should be lucrative if she can afford NYC on that business income.
How about visiting Hawaii for a bit before deciding which island? They are all different and it's hard to know which you'd prefer. Is there room for you to stay with your friend for a bit while you're getting settled?
........if you have a rude comment or message you want to leave me please don't bother. ...........so please be respectful in you messages and post.
I was going to make a suggestion, but what if you don't like it? Will I be called out for being rude? I think I don't want to risk getting my feelings hurt.
That, and I am really bad about obeying orders from total strangers. Maybe if you were more specific about what you consider to be "respectful"? Oh, and add why you are so deserving of respect and what you have done to earn it?
A "few thousand" isn't all that much for moving expenses, so the amount of "stuff" that can be brought will be very limited. Can you bring your jewelry design stuff as luggage?
Can you stay with your friend for the first several weeks while lining up somewhere else to stay? Does your friend need a house mate? Rents are a lot less on the other islands, although there will be a huge culture shock since you'd be moving from a big city to a really rural area. Moving from NYC to Honolulu is at least an urban to urban shift. However, the other islands have a lot more natural environment, but it may be too much for someone used to big cities.
My cousin from NYC visited and she wanted to know which groceries and delis delivered. The answer of "none and what delicatessen, we don't have any of those" wasn't one she was expecting. I don't know if she had ever actually gone into a grocery store before. She also didn't drive since she'd always lived in the city. We didn't have a dry cleaner handy nor anyplace with "bottle service" whatever that is. I'm not sure if she mentally labeled us "uncultured barbarians", but I'm hoping for "quaint". She did sort of have the air of someone camping out in primitive conditions what with extremely limited public transport, no food deliveries, etc. etc.
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I'm a peaceful hippy type of person and think the Aloha life would fit me perfectly. Also my Temple is located there so I would have a spiritual support system.
